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LaPorte County, Indiana
LaPorte County LaPorte County Government website is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 111,467. The county seat is the city of La Porte . This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, Northwest Indiana and Michiana. The largest city is Michigan City. It is included in the Michigan City-La Porte, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History LaPorte County was formed in 1832. La porte means "the door" in French. French travelers or explorers so named the area after discovering a natural opening in the dense forests that used to exist in this region, providing a gateway to lands further west.Calumet Beginnings: Schoon, Kenneth J. (2003) Before white settlement, all of the land that forms modern-day LaPorte County, and adjacent Starke County to the south belonged to the Potawatomi Indian nation. These Indians were forcibly removed to Kansas by the United States government in 1838, and many died on what survivors called the Trail of Death.La Porte County Historical SocietyHistory of 1838 Trail of Death When the county was initially proposed and organized, its boundaries did not extend as far south or east as they do today. A section of land north of the Kankakee River originally belonged to Starke County. However, residents living in that area had difficulty crossing the river in order to reach the rest of the county. It was necessary to travel some distance east to Lemon's bridge, before making the journey south. Effectively isolated from the rest of Starke County, these residents asked that their land be annexed to LaPorte County, which was completed on January 28, 1842. Thereafter, the Kankakee River formed the southern boundary of the county. Finally, on January 10, 1850, some twenty sections of land were annexed from St. Joseph County to the east, giving LaPorte County the boundaries that essentially exist to this day. Geography The county has a total area of , of which (or 97.59%) is land and (or 2.41%) is water. Adjacent counties *Berrien County, Michigan (north) *St. Joseph County (east) *Starke County (south) *Jasper County (southwest) *Porter County (west) National protected area * Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (part) Major highways * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Railroads *Amtrak *Canadian National Railway *Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad *Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad *Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad *CSX Transportation *Norfolk Southern Railway Communities Cities *La Porte *Michigan City Towns *Kingsbury *Kingsford Heights *LaCrosse *Long Beach *Michiana Shores *Pottawattamie Park *Trail Creek *Wanatah *Westville Townships *Cass *Center *Clinton *Coolspring *Dewey *Galena *Hanna *Hudson *Johnson *Kankakee *Lincoln *Michigan *New Durham *Noble *Pleasant *Prairie *Scipio *Springfield *Union *Washington *Wills Unincorporated communities *Alida *Birchim *Byron *Door Village *Duneland Beach *Fish Lake *Hanna *Hesston *Holmesville *Hudson Lake *Lake Park *Mill Creek *Otis *Pinhook *Pinola *Plainfield *Riverside *Rolling Prairie *Salem Heights *Smith *South Center *South Wanatah *Springfield *Springville *Stillwell *Thomaston *Tracy *Union Mills *Waterford *Wellsboro *Wilders Climate and weather }} In recent years, average temperatures in LaPorte have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of was recorded in June 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. Education Public schools in LaPorte County are administered by eight different districts: *LaPorte Community School Corporation http://www.lpcsc.k12.in.us/ *Metropolitan School District of New Durham Township http://www.westvilleschool.com/ *Michigan City Area Schools http://www.mcas.k12.in.us/ *New Prairie United School Corporation http://www.npusc.k12.in.us/ *South Central Community School Corporation http://www.scentral.k12.in.us/ *Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation Government The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code. County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes. Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government. Court: The county has five elected trial court judges. They include the LaPorte Circuit Court and Superior Courts No. 1-4. The judges are elected to six-year terms on partisan ballots. Superior Courts 3 and 4 maintain small claims dockets. Decisions from any trial court may be appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals]]. County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county. Laporte County is part of Indiana's 2nd congressional district and in 2008 was represented by Joe Donnelly in the United States Congress. It is also part of Indiana Senate districts 5 and 8 and Indiana House of Representatives districts 9, 17 and 20. Demographics As of 2000, there were 110,106 people, 41,050 households, and 28,611 families residing in the county. The population density was 184 people per square mile (71/km²). There were 45,621 housing units at an average density of 29 persons/km² (76 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 86.26% White, 10.13% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.31% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population. 25.9% were of German, 12.2% Poles, 10.2% American, 9.0% Irish and 5.5% English ancestry according to the 2000 United States Census. There were 41,050 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $41,430, and the median income for a family was $49,872. Males had a median income of $36,686 versus $23,955 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,913. About 6.30% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under the age of 18 and 9.00% ages 65 or older. See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in LaPorte County, Indiana References Further reading External links *Access LaPorte County official community site *Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce *Healthy Communities of LaPorte County Category:LaPorte County, Indiana Category:Counties of Indiana Category:Established in 1832 Category:Northwest Indiana